Peter Dodds McCormick
Peter Dodds McCormick (28 January 1833 – 30 October 1916) was an Australian schoolteacher and songwriter, known for composing the Australian national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair". He published under the pseudonym Amicus, Latin for "friend".
Peter Dodds McCormick
28 January 1833
30 October 1916 (aged 83)
Amicus (Latin for Friend)
Composer, teacher
1855–1913
Composing Advance Australia Fair
Early life[edit]
Peter Dodds McCormick was born to Peter McCormick and Janet (née Dodds) at Port Glasgow, Scotland in 1833.[1]
Death[edit]
McCormick died in 1916, aged 83, at his home, Clydebank, in the Sydney suburb of Waverley and he was buried at Rookwood Cemetery.[2] He had no children; he was survived by his second wife Emma. His obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald stated: "Mr. McCormick established a reputation with the patriotic song, Advance Australia Fair, which ... has come to be recognised as something in the nature of an Australian National Anthem".[1][5]
The song was performed by massed bands at the Federal capital celebrations in Canberra in 1927. In 1984 it was formally declared as the Australian national anthem, replacing God Save the Queen.